Stage 10 Reports

an Ullrich overcame a second major obstacle in his life when he took control of
the Tour
de France on Tuesday.

He was a freckle-faced 14-year-old when the first barrier, the Berlin Wall,
fell in 1989 and the Rostock-born youngster was able
to race in the West.

``I was nine when I took part in my first race and 14 when the Berlin Wall came
down and I had my first chance to race in France
and Belgium,'' the German said as he donned the overall leader's yellow jersey
for the first time.

Ullrich came to prominence when he finished second to his Telekom team leader
Bjarne Riis in last year's Tour after a remarkable
time trial victory in the penultimate stage at St Emilion.

But insiders such as American Lance Armstrong, recovering from cancer and
looking to race again for the Cofidis team, said the
young German's talent has long been evident.

``It's not so surprising. He's a talened young guy who was world champion as an
amateur (in 1993). He could win many more
Tours,'' Armstrong said after the 10th stage, second in the Pyrenees, which
Ullrich won by a one minute eight seconds margin.

At 23, Ullrich is the same age as Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard
Hinault, both five times winners, and their compatriot
Laurent Fignon, twice a victor, were when they won their first Tours.

Ullrich named Spain's Miguel Indurain, who also won the Tour five successive
times until he was succeeded by Riis in 1996, as his
idol.

He bears a remarkable resemblance to Indurain in the ease with which he appears
to stay with any pace in the climbs and his
brilliance in the time trials. He was second to Briton Chris Boardman in the
prologue in Rouen 10 days ago.

Symbolically, Ullrich has taken the yellow jersey for the first time -- and the
first by a German since Klaus Peter Thaler in 1978 --
in the first Tour since Indurain retired.

Assuming he fulfils his promise as a Tour great, Ullrich will also look back to
American Greg LeMond as an influential
predecessor.

``I remember him from the first time I saw the Tour on television. He won the
yellow jersey,'' Ullrich said.

``Ever since I first watched the Tour I wanted to become a professional and one
day wear it.''

LeMond marked a change in Tour history in which the winners crown their efforts
in the mountains with good time trials.

Ullrich is out of the same mould, whereas his only real rival in this Tour,
Frenchman Richard Virenque, belongs to the old school of
pure climbers.

Having shown the potential to take the lead in Monday's first mountain stage
when he was second, Ullrich said: ``Today I believed
I could. I made the break, then looked back and saw no-one coming with me so I
thought this is it and pressed on.''

Riis, who only on Monday was strongly defending his status as team captain, now
appears merely to be the link between the
Indurain era and a possible new one bearing the name of Ullrich.